Alighieri
Alighieri is an ancient dragon-turtle. Also known as 'The Far Traveler', he journeys throughout the oceans of the world visiting different lands and collecting songs and tales. He is accompanied by a group of merfolk for whom he is their spiritual leader. Herstory Alighieri is perhaps centuries old or older, and known throughout the world as a collector of songs and stories. The group of merfolk that revere him and travel with him trade with people on the surface in exchange for stories. The merfolk's two highest leaders are their head mystic, who connects with Alighieri spiritually, and the physical caretaker, who takes care of the dragon turtle's physical needs. Siege of Fire Island Alighieri and his merfolk tribe journeyed to Fire Island, a place he had visited in the past, seeking new stories from the Glamazons. On the way, a massive storm, triggered by the return of the Kracken, trapped them all near the islands. Shortly after, Alighieri began to grow sick. Mystie the Head Mystic, journeyed inside with several other mystics to investigate. When they did not come out after several days, Virgil the Caretaker took a team of guards inside. A few days later, a group of drag adventures, Booty and the Hofish, came seeking an alliance with the merfolk. One of them, Finneous, explained what had happened to Alighieri. The queens attempted to investigate, and the dragon turtle coughed up one of the merfolk guard, transformed and possessed by strange worm like creatures. After purging the guards, the party journeyed inside Alighieri to help bring the others home and further investigate. The interior of Alighieri proved to be a series of chambers, sealed off by sphincters. Each chamber was full of illusory magics, and spells that tried to bring out vices inside those who passed through the chambers. Deeper chambers began to be filled with structures and pieces of buildings. Frog like creatures populated the first few, but more mythological beings like centaurs and harpies appeared further in. Patrick, a scholar in residence at the Golden Palace, theorized there might be a connection to one of the stories that Alighieri had collected. In fact, each time the queens sang a song, or mentioned a tale, a glimmering illusion of it would appear for a second in the waters around them. Along the journey, the queens began to rescue Virgil and other merfolk guards, purging them of the infection. The source of the infection proved to be a servant of the Kracken who called themself Dampthroat. After destroying it, the party and merfolk left Alighieri and found him improved. The queens managed to convince him to ally with the other groups on the island by enticing him with the idea of becoming part of a story, not just a collector of them. He joined the queens in their return to the Golden Palace. Behind the Queens Alighieri holds the unique position of being both a character, and a dungeon. His name is a reference to Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy, including the Inferno, upon which the interior of Alighieri is based. Category:Characters Category:NPCs Category:Bestiary